ROBIOTIC consumption is recognized as being generally safe and correlates with multiple and
valuable health benefits. Food exposure to mycotoxins is a major concern for public health
officials and regulatory authorities globally. Aflatoxins (AFLs) and ochratoxin A (OTA)
contamination of meat products can happen anywhere along the production process, from farm to
fork. The purpose of this study is to determine the concentration of AFLs and OTA residues in some
beef products and evaluate the effects of different probiotics (Lactobacillus acidophilus,
Bifidobacterium lactis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on AFLs and OTA in semi-dry fermented beef
sausage that has been contaminated in an experiment stored for seven days. The study found that the
AFLs were present in 86.7%, 60%, 80%, 70%, 76.7%, and 70% of the meat products under
investigation, while the OTA residues were present in 83.3%, 56.7%, 80%, 73.3%, 63.3%, and 76.7%
of the burger, minced beef, luncheon, basterma, kofta, and sausage, respectively. Burger (13.89 ±
2.62 ppb) and sausage (12.67 ± 2.37 ppb) had the greatest AFLs residues (ppb), followed by kofta
(11.38 ± 2.15 ppb) and luncheon (11.26 ± 2.72 ppb). Basterma (3.31 ± 1.85 ppb) and minced meat
(5.47 ± 1.55 ppb) had the lowest values. Luncheon had the greatest OTA residues (2.76 ± 0.43 ppb),
followed by burger (2.64 ± 0.14 ppb), sausage (2.32 ± 0.57 ppb), and kofta (1.78 ± 0.74 ppb), while
basterma (1.23 ± 0.65 ppb) and minced beef (1.56 ± 0.12 ppb) had the lowest concentrations. The
findings reveal that the levels of AFLs in some examined samples exceeded the legal limits (˂ 20
ppb), while the levels of OTA were within the acceptable range (˂ 5 ppb). The data shows a positive
association between the use of probiotics and the reduction of AFLs and OTA in all samples studied.
The results indicate that probiotics such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis and
Saccharomyces cerevisiae can potentially serve as decontaminants in the food industry as well as can
replace chemical preservatives in producing organic foods and reduce the levels of mycotoxins in
beef products intended for human consumption.